


Shrunk! [ON HOLD]

by fandomgurl77



Category: Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Greatest Showman(2017)
Genre: Bar, Birthday, Boat trip, Camping, Dinner, Dolls, Dumb decision, F/M, Figurine, Food, Funny, Gen, Humor, Impulse, Insect-Sized Circus, Kid - Freeform, P.T makes a dumb choice, Pregnancy, Suvival, Thanks, aaahhh!, but gets to safety don't worry, circus-themed playset, cruel worker, happy kid, he agrees to help, i love pork and chips, kitchen, not the best story out there but oh well, overseas trip, phillip is almost killed, playset, poor P.T, poor phillip, refrences to slavery, sexual suggestion, shrunk down, stupid purchase, suggestion, what went on in the bush?, wink wink, yummy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24037573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomgurl77/pseuds/fandomgurl77
Summary: P.T and his circus are shrunk to the size of insects thanks to Phillip's disasterous idea and go on an incredible adventure...
Relationships: P.T Barnum & Charity Barnum, P.T Barnum/Charity Barnum, Phillip Carlyle & Anne Wheeler, Phillip Carlyle/Anne Wheeler
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

_It’s 9:00 a.m on February 18 th, 1871, when Phillip finds an unusual looking contraption at a local shop…_

‘What’s this?’ he thought when he picked it up off the shelf just as one of the assistants came over.

‘Pardon me, sir’, he said, ‘Can you please explain to me what this device is?’

‘Sure’, the assistant said, ‘Legend has it that this device will open up your eyes to a new way of living…’

‘I’ll take it’, Phillip said, not considering that the other man hadn’t finished explaining.

‘Um…are you sure?’ the assistant said, ‘There may be adverse side effects concerning the device’s use…’

‘Never mind that’, Phillip said as they both walked to the counter, ‘Look, I’ll pay $100.00 for it.’

‘Um…deal!’ the assistant said while he gave a 100 dollar note to the man behind the till before leaving, ‘We hope to see you again soon!’

‘Anne!’ Phillip said as she walked into his room back at the tent, ‘Guess what I bought today?’

‘Oh’, Anne said as she facepalmed, ‘It wasn’t anything stupid, I hope.’

‘No, no’, Phillip said, ‘This purchase will enhance our lives in ways that we’ve never experienced before.’

‘Um…ok then, I guess’, Anne said, ‘What is it?’

‘Close your eyes and I’ll bring it here…’ Phillip began.

‘Ok’, Anne said as she closed her eyes.

**Two seconds later…**

‘Here it is’, Phillip said, ‘You can open your eyes now.’

‘Um…what exactly is it?’ Anne asked.

‘Um…well, about that…I…um…really don’t know’, Phillip replied.

‘Seriously, Phillip, did you even bother to _ask_ what it was _before_ you purchased it?’ Anne asked.

‘Ah…well…I suppose I may have skipped on that part and paid 100 dollars up front for it’, Phillip replied.

‘You paid 100 dollars on something you didn’t even ask about?’ Anne asked in a shocked voice.

‘Um…well…yes’, Phillip admitted, ‘But it still looks cool.’

‘That’s not the point, Phillip!’ Anne said, ‘That money was supposed to be shared evenly between all of us for the week!’

‘Sorry’, Phillip said, ‘I suppose I could take it back for a full refund. Oh wait, the shop has a strict “no returns” policy.’

Just before Anne left the room, she noticed a small red button on the side of the device.

‘Hey, what does this do?’ she asked before she pressed it.

‘I don’t know’, Phillip replied, ‘It’s probably something that will enhance your life or something.’

**Five minutes later…**

‘Well, I don’t think that the damn thing is working’, Anne said, ‘We’ve waited for five whole minutes!’

‘But the people in the shop said…’ Phillip began before being cut off.

‘You know what, Phillip?’ Anne said, ‘I believe that they tricked you into handing that 100 dollars over.’

‘Sweet cheese, I think you’re right!’ Phillip said, ‘Why didn’t I consider this before I handed it over?’

Suddenly, a blue ray of light shot out of the front of the device and enveloped Anne in a circle of light before she seemingly disappeared.

‘Anne!’ Phillip shouted, ‘Where are you?’


	2. Chapter 2

‘Phillip…’ he heard a couple of seconds later, ‘I’m down here!’

‘Where?’ Phillip said as he walked towards the door, nearly accidentally crushing Anne in the process.

‘AAAHHH!’ she screamed as she ran for what seemed like miles from the towering monster that was Phillip.

‘What was that?’ Phillip thought as he looked down, only to see a tiny, insect-sized Anne standing in front of his shoe.

‘Phillip…you’re huge!’ she said.

‘No, I believe that you’ve been shrunk by that thing behind me’, Phillip said before he picked Anne up and placed her in his hand just as Lettie burst in.

‘What’s going on in here?’ she said, ‘I heard shouting.’

‘Oh, that was just me and Anne’, Phillip said.

‘But where is Anne?’ Lettie said, ‘I don’t see her anywhere.’

‘Maybe this will explain your query’, Phillip said when he opened his hand.

‘Ew, Phillip!’ Lettie shrieked, ‘Get rid of that disgusting bug this instant!’

‘Hey!’ Anne said in response, ‘Who are **you** to call me a “disgusting bug”!?’

‘Anne?’ Lettie said as she picked her up, ‘Oh my goodness, what happened to you?’

‘I was shrunk down to this size by the machine in the corner of the room’, Anne said, ‘I’m sorry if I scared you; just remember, “ _I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I’m meant to be, this is me._ ”’

Suddenly, the same blue ray that shrunk Anne did the same to Lettie.

‘Ouch’, she said, ‘You’re standing on my foot.’

‘Sorry’, Anne said as they were both picked up by Phillip.

Time to take you back out’, he said as he opened the door, causing a gust of wind that nearly blew Anne away.

‘AAAHHH!’ she thought as she inadvertently pinched one of Phillip’s fingers so she could hold on.

‘Ouch’, Phillip said before he closed the door again, ‘Must have been a static shock from the knob.’

**Two minutes later…**

‘Whoa!’ W.D said when he saw tiny Anne and Lettie on Phillip’s hand, ‘How could this be?’

‘Yes’, everyone else said, ‘We want to know.’

‘Well, it happened in my room’, Phillip said, ‘It turns out that thing I bought earlier today is a shrink-ray.’

‘Oh’, W.D said, ‘I see. Another one of your more stupid purchases, I assume.’

‘Yes’, Phillip said, ‘It was kind of dumb in hindsight.’

**After morning tea…**

‘AAAHHH!’ Phillip shrieked when he saw that the entire troupe, including Jumbo and the other animals, were the same size as Lettie and Anne in his room, ‘What am I going to do now?’

‘Um…sorry to burst your bubble, Phillip’, Deng said, ‘But I believe that the machine is now broken.’

‘What??’ Phillip said before he looked up at the machine, which had burn marks on the front and lightly-coloured smoke coming out, ‘This can’t be! What will P.T say? You are small forever, and it’s all because of me and my stupid ideas!’

‘Don’t strain yourself, Phillip’, Anne said, ‘Remember, breathe slowly.’

It was then that P.T opened the door.

‘Good morning, Phillip, where is everyone?’ he asked, ‘I thought they would be helping to prepare for next Wednesday’s show.’

‘Well, you see…’ Phillip began before P.T noticed all the “bugs” in the room.

‘And it seems to me that we’ve got an infestation of bugs that needs to be taken care of as well’, he said, ‘This room is filled with them.’

Suddenly, the shrink-ray gave one last burst of light before it fell apart, shrinking P.T and Phillip in the process.

‘Oh, good morning, everyone’, P.T said.

‘Good morning, P.T’, the troupe said collectively.


	3. Chapter 3

At 6:00 that night, P.T had found a safe way into the kitchen in the bar through an old mousehole.

‘All right, everyone’, he said, ‘You can come on in.’

‘Finally’, Phillip said as he led the rest of the troupe in before he spotted a delicious-looking cake on the bench, which was really a medium-sized muffin.

‘Hey’, Phillip said, ‘I’m going to see if there is any more food up there.’

‘Ok, but be careful’, P.T said.

Suddenly, the saloon-style doors flung open and three chefs walked over to their stations, knocking Phillip into a dish of aioli.

‘Phillip!’ P.T shouted as he and everyone else hid behind a shelf of boxes, ‘Are you ok?’

‘Yes, I’m fine, Phillip said, ‘Just a little wet, that’s all.’

‘What was that?’ one of the chefs asked, ‘Did you guys hear or say something?’

‘No, William’, one of the others, Mandy, replied, Omar didn’t say or hear a thing either.’

‘Maybe I’m starting to hear things’, William said before he returned to slicing a roast beef rump.

‘Right’, Mandy said as she walked toward the plate of meat and fries that Phillip was standing on, ‘This goes out to the table in the far corner.’

‘Ok’, the waiter, Borris, said when he picked the plate up and disappeared through the doors just as Phillip hid among the pile of fries.

‘Right’, Borris said at the table in the far corner, ‘Here’s your pork and chips. Enjoy.’

‘Thanks’, the couple at the table said before Borris returned behind the bar.

A few seconds later, Phillip pushed one of the fries slightly to the left and saw that the bar was packed with people.

‘Oh my!’ he thought as a hand removed the fry, although the owner didn’t see him.

‘I better stay hidden’, he thought as he crawled through and under the pile of meat, where he heard the couple at the table talking about the circus.

‘I say’, the woman, Francesca, said, ‘That circus thing was weird, don’t you think?’

‘Yes’, her husband, Kieran, said, ‘It seemed to have just disappeared from existence this morning. I mean, the tent’s still there, but the performers and animals are gone.’

It was then that the piece of meat covering Phillip slipped away, so he ran across the table, where he was unfortunately spotted by Francesca.

‘AAAHHH!!’ she screamed in horror, ‘There’s a bug that just came out of our food!’

‘Relax, honey’, Kieran said as he picked up an empty water glass and placed it over Phillip, ‘Everything’s been taken care of.’

‘Is something the matter?’ Borris asked when he returned to the table.

‘We just found this crawling across the table’, Kieran replied as he scooped Phillip into the glass, who kept sliding down the sides.

‘He’s a feisty little creature, isn’t he?’ Kieran asked.

‘Yes’, Borris said, ‘I’m terribly sorry about this; he will be promptly “disposed of.”’

**A few seconds later…**

‘Oh gosh, I better get out of here!’ Phillip thought as he knocked the glass over the edge of the tray, causing it to shatter when it hit the floor.

‘Phew!’ he thought before he ran into the kitchen, ‘Not a scratch on me!’

Guys!’ he said when disappeared behind the boxes on the shelves, ‘I’m back.’

‘Did you find any food out there?’ Anne asked.

‘Well, I bought back a few crumbs of one of the fries on the plate where I was hiding’, Phillip replied, ‘Oh, and I was nearly killed while bringing them back.’

‘What happened?’ everyone asked.

‘Well, I was scooped into an empty glass by a man named Kieran, who then gave it to a waiter named Borris, who said that I would be “disposed of” promptly’, Phillip replied, ‘After hearing that, I somehow managed to push the glass onto the floor and made a run for it.’

Suddenly, the doors flew open and Borris walked toward the shelf where he spotted Phillip.

‘There you are’, he said as he picked him up, ‘You’re coming with me!’

‘No!’ Phillip begged, ‘Please spare my life!’

‘What the?’ Borris asked, ‘Did you just talk?’

‘Yes’, Phillip replied, ‘I’m Phillip Carlyle, and the rest of the circus troupe is here with me too.’

‘Oh?’ Borris asked as he looked down, ‘How did you become so tiny?’

‘We were shrunk by a shrink-ray, the parts of which are still in the tent’, P.T replied on behalf of everyone.

‘I see’, Borris said as he placed Phillip on the floor again, ‘It just so happens that I have a brother who is an engineer, so he may be able to fix the shrink-ray for you.’

‘Brilliant!’ P.T said, ‘When can we expect it to be fixed then?’

‘Unfortunately, it will be not until next Tuesday at the earliest, since he lives in San Francisco and will have to travel across the country’, Borris said, ‘However, by time he sets up and everything, it might take until the weekend before you can return to normal size.’

‘Um…ok’, P.T said, realising that the show scheduled for the following Wednesday may have to be cancelled.


	4. Chapter 4

At approximately 9:45 that night, everyone was getting ready for bed amongst the tall, tree-like (in relation to their size) grass in the front yard of the Barnum Estate.

‘I know that this is a stupid question which I should know the answer to already, but isn’t this your house?’ Phillip asked.

‘Yes’, P.T replied.

‘Ah, now I remember’, Phillip said after a few seconds, ‘We are at your house!’

In response, P.T stared at him blankly for a second.

‘Don’t be funny’, he said, ‘We’ve got a long week ahead of us, and the probable cancellation of next Wednesday’s show.’

It was then that he saw a shadow through the curtains over one of the windows.

‘Charity!’ he said in shock before he ran towards the door, ‘She and the girls are probably worried sick about me!’

P.T stopped in front of the door five minutes later and discovered that he could now walk up the wall like an insect.

‘Well, this is awkward’, he thought, ‘I’ve never been able to do this before.’

It was then that the door opened briefly, since Charity thought she had heard footprints outside.

‘Hello?’ she asked as P.T ran inside and up to the ceiling, ‘Is anyone there?’

However, there was no response.

‘Oh well, must have been the wind’, Charity said disappointedly when she locked the door before going upstairs.

**At 9:00 the next morning…**

‘See you after school, girls’, Charity said just as the bell on the front of the building chimed, ‘Have a good day!’

‘We will, Mommy!’ Caroline and Helen shouted before they waved and ran off, while Charity walked back home.

**Half an hour after lunch…**

‘Ah’, Charity said as she wrapped a towel around her, ‘Time for a bath.’

However, while she was walking down the hall towards the bathroom, she noticed something walking on the ceiling.

‘What are you?’ she said, ‘You don’t look like any sort of bug I’ve seen before.’

‘That’s because I’m not’, P.T said.

‘Wait a minute’, Charity said when she heard his voice, ‘Phin? Is that you?’

‘Yes’, P.T said.

‘Oh, my goodness, Phin!’ Charity said when she took him off the ceiling, ‘You’re so tiny.’

‘Oh’, P.T said, ‘So it’s only now you tell me; I thought you were happy with it.’

‘Not like _that_!’ Charity said, ‘I mean your height…although you do have a point… Anyway though, how did you get so small?’

‘Well, I and the rest of the troupe were shrunk down by a shrink-ray that Phillip purchased yesterday with money that was supposed to be shared with everyone’, P.T said, ‘The problem is that it destroyed itself while shrinking me and him, so we’re waiting for it to be fixed, which may mean the cancellation of next Wednesday’s show.’

‘I don’t believe this!’ Charity said.

‘I know’, P.T said, ‘It was a stupid decision to buy it in the first place, and even Phillip has admitted that.’

‘No, I _really don’t_ believe your story, Phin’, Charity said.

‘But, Charity’, P.T said, ‘I am being serious for once.’

‘Since when have **you** been honest with storytelling?’ Charity said, ‘You are **always** exaggerating the truth down at the circus to attract more customers.’

‘That’s different’, P.T said, ‘The show needs an audience that keeps returning and growing, otherwise it would have to shut down. Besides, we need it to keep going so we can continue living here.’

‘I suppose you’re right’, Charity said, ‘Anyway, I’m off to have a bath now, so I’ll leave you to it.’

‘Ok’, P.T said before Charity closed the bathroom door, ‘See you later.’


	5. Chapter 5

‘I’m back’, P.T said when he approached the rest of the troupe, ‘I and Charity had a little talk a few minutes ago.’

‘What about?’ Phillip asked.

‘Well, firstly she noticed my size…’ P.T began before he was cut off.

‘Um…’ Phillip said, ‘Are you sure that this is appropriate to talk about?’

‘Yes’, P.T said, ‘But before you get any, and I do mean _any_ , ideas, she meant my _height_ , so I told her about being shrunk down and waiting for the shrink-ray to be repaired, but she didn’t believe my story.’

‘Well, that’s not surprising’, Anne said, ‘Especially considering you have always exaggerated the truth to customers and in advertisements.’

Suddenly, the mower that P.T had hired to mow the lawns months before was rapidly approaching them with a push-mower.

‘It’s the mower!’ P.T shouted before the troupe dispersed, ‘Quick, hide!’

**Five minutes later…**

‘Is everyone alright?’ P.T asked after the troupe merged back together, except for two.

‘Yes’, everyone replied.

However, after a head-count, P.T noticed who was missing.

‘Guys?’ he asked, ‘Where are Phillip and Anne?’

Just as everyone began panicking, Phillip and Anne returned from inside a hedge along the perimeter fence. However, something was different about them.

‘Phew!’ everyone said, ‘We thought you had been lost!’

‘We _were_ lost’, Phillip said before he winked at Anne.

‘Hey’, W.D said, ‘I’ve just noticed something about your skin…’

‘What…what is it?’ Phillip asked.

‘Oh, now I get what you meant about being lost’, W.D said, ‘Take a look in the puddle beside you.’

‘Sweet cheese, you’re right!’ Phillip and Anne said, ‘We’re glowing slightly!’

‘Yes’, W.D said, ‘No wonder you were inside the hedge.’


	6. Chapter 6

At 10:00 a.m. the following Tuesday, P.T received word from Borris’ brother that he would have the shrink-ray operational again by that Sunday.

‘What?’ P.T asked, ‘Cancel the show?’

‘I’m afraid we have to’, Phillip replied, ‘Who would want to see a tiny circus troupe in a huge tent? They’d have to crouch around us in the corner, _if_ they could even see us in the first place!’

‘Perhaps you are right’, P.T said, ‘Go on and cancel the show then.’

‘Anyway, what are we going to do until Sunday?’ P.T said before he had an idea, ‘Wait a minute, I know a brilliant way to pass the time…’

**That Sunday at midday…**

‘Well, that was dumb’, P.T said, as the troupe was now on a boat heading to New Zealand, ‘I _knew_ I should have kept off the train and this damn boat!’

‘Anyway’, Phillip said, ‘I hear that we’re heading to Lyttelton Port in New Zealand, and it will take approximately four to five months there and back.’

‘Oh great’, P.T said, ‘This makes it a whole lot worse.’

**Five months later…**

‘So, this is the Bridle Path, is it?’ P.T asked as the troupe was slowly making its way through the tall grass alongside the path.

‘I believe so’, Phillip replied, ‘Boy, is it a tough climb or not?’

‘I think we all can agree that it’s tough’, P.T said.

‘Guys’, Anne said before she sat on a stone, ‘I think I need to rest.’

‘Yes’, everyone else said, ‘We could all use a short break.’

Suddenly, a brown grasshopper picked Phillip up and took him away.

‘Phillip!’ Anne shouted, ‘No!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Bridle Path is a real pathway over the Port Hills between the port of Lyttelton and Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand and was used by the first settlers from Britain in the 1800s.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before the change to decimal currency (dollars and cents) in the 1960s, New Zealand's currency was the pound, like the UK.

‘Relax, Anne’, W.D said, ‘Grasshoppers are herbivores; they only eat grass.’

‘Yes, but, it’s still terrifying’, Anne said, ‘I mean, what could be happening to him now?’

‘Meanwhile, Phillip had managed to tame the grasshopper and was riding on it’s back when he met everyone five minutes later.

‘Phillip!’ Anne exclaimed, ‘You’re alive!’

‘Everyone, meet our newest performer, Grassy!’ Phillip said.

‘Grassy?’ P.T said, ‘I think a better name would be Munchkins.’

‘Hm…’ Phillip said, ‘Maybe he can have two names, I could keep calling him Grassy, while you and everyone else can use the name Munchkins.’

‘Ok then’, P.T said before the troupe continued climbing the hill.

**An hour later…**

‘Wow!’ everyone said when they reached the top, ‘What a view!’

‘That’s our destination over there’, P.T said as he pointed to the city below, ‘The city of Christchurch.’

‘If you say so’, Phillip said before everyone began their descent into Heathcote Valley.

**At 9:45 the next morning…**

‘What is this place?’ P.T asked, ‘We seem to be in a glass case on a shelf.’

‘We’re in a shop on Bealey Ave.’ Phillip replied, ‘We stopped here last night after a carriage ride, remember?’

‘Ah yes’, P.T said, ‘Now I remember. Anyway, it’s time to find a way out and move on.’

Suddenly, a hand picked the case up.

‘Mummy’, the owner of the hand said, ‘I want this case of figurines!’

‘Hm…the mother, Kayla, said, ‘Let’s go and see how much they are worth first. We’ve already bought a lot of stuff this morning.’

‘Ok’, the young girl, Emily, said as they walked up to the counter.

‘Excuse me’, Kayla said, ‘But we would like to know how much these are worth please.’

‘Oh’, the woman at the till said, ‘They’re brand new stock; just got them in this morning. Anyway, they cost £5.’

‘Thanks’, Kayla said before she and Emily walked back to the shelf where the case had been, ‘I just need to talk with my daughter.’

‘Ok’, the woman said.

‘Emily’, Kayla said, have you got an extra £1 so we can buy them?’

‘Yes’, Emily said as she handed her mother a coin, ‘That was pocket money from Daddy for sweeping the floors yesterday.’

‘Well, you can thank him for helping you buy these figurines when we return home’, Kayla said as they walked back up to the counter, ‘Besides, they’ll make an excellent addition to your doll-house.’

‘Yes, Mummy’, Emily said just as the other woman returned from out the back of the shop.

‘We’ll take them’, Kayla said as she handed the five coins over.

‘Thank you’, the woman said, ‘Have a nice day.’

‘Thanks!’ Kayla and Emily said before they left.

**Half an hour later…**

‘Emily’, her father, Michael, said as he bought an item covered by a white sheet into her bedroom, ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’

‘A surprise??’ Emily said when her eyes lit up in excitement, ‘Tell me what it is!’

‘It’s an add-on for your doll-house’, Michael said as he put the item on the floor and removed the sheet, ‘Viola!’

‘Oh, my goodness!’ Emily exclaimed, ‘Thank you, Daddy! What is it?’

‘It’s a model circus tent made of real canvas’, Michael said, ‘There are miniature stools and other props included inside, and hooks for hanging hoops and bars attached to the ceiling.’

‘How did you have the money to buy this?’ Emily asked, referring to when she saw it in a shop window earlier in the week.

‘I’d had the money saved up for a while, so I decided to buy it for you while you were at school on Friday, since you had been wanting it all week’, Michael replied.

After Emily and Michael had gone downstairs for morning tea, W.D realised what had happened during the morning and was uncomfortable about it.

‘Anne’, he said, ‘Do you know what just happened to us?’

‘Not really, except that we’re now in a young girl’s bedroom’, Anne said, ‘Why?’

‘That girl and her mother **purchased** us for £5 to be **used** by the girl!’ W.D said, ‘It’s like the old times, again.’

‘Don’t worry, W.D’, Anne said, ‘I’m sure she’ll take excellent care of us. Besides, all of that is illegal here anyway.’

‘I suppose we should give the child a chance’, W.D said, ‘She looks pleasant enough.’


	8. Chapter 8

After lunch that day, Emily placed all the members of the troupe in the tent when all the props had been set up.

‘This is just like the set-up at home’, P.T said before he was taken out again.

**A few minutes later…**

‘Welcome back, P.T’, Phillip said, ‘Looking…very… _different_.’

‘What?’ P.T said, ‘What are you looking at?’

‘Oh’, Phillip said, ‘It’s your outfit... _Really_ suits you…’

P.T looked into the mirror through the entrance and saw what Phillip was referring to.

‘AAAHHH!’ he shrieked upon seeing the pink feathers and ribbons attached to his suit, ‘These are **not** my colours or style at all!’

‘Too bad’, Anne said, ‘Because it looks hilarious!’

‘Seriously?’ Lettie said, ‘You say that _this_ isn’t your style or colour, but your ringmaster’s coat was red and _embroidered_ with gold thread!’

‘Yes’, Phillip said, ‘What happened to “ _And if it’s crazy, live a little crazy_ ”?’

‘I suppose you’re right’, P.T said, ‘I’ll do this for today only; I am most certainly **not** returning home like this!’

It was then that the stands began to fill up with stuffed animals and other dolls.

‘Right’, Emily said, ‘It’s time to start the show.’

‘Guys’, Phillip said after the show while Emily was doing something with the doll’s house, ‘Where’s Anne? She wasn’t in the show at all.’

‘Come to think of it’, W.D said, ‘I do recall Emily taking her out of the tent a few seconds before the show started.’

**Meanwhile, at the doll’s house…**

‘Right, Debbie’, (which was the name the Emily had given Anne) Emily said as she tucked her into one of four beds, ‘You need to rest because you’re sick.’

‘Right’, she said a few seconds later as she started to remove the stuffed animals and dolls from the stands in the tent, ‘Time to pack up.’

**At 1:30 p.m. the next day…**

‘Happy 8th birthday, Emily!’ P.T heard voices shout in the living room downstairs.

‘Here’s our chance’, he said, ‘Since Emily is out of the room, we are free to go downstairs and escape this doll-house once and for all.’

‘I think that’s an excellent plan’, Phillip said before the others agreed.

‘Right, Anne’, Phillip said as he opened the door of one of the downstairs bedrooms, ‘It’s time to go.’

‘Ok’, Anne said as she stood up, which revealed something unexpected.

‘Anne’, Phillip said, ‘I’ve never noticed how much you’ve grown these last few months.’

‘What?’ Anne said as she walked to the mirror, ‘Let me have a look…’

‘Sweet cheese, you’re right!’ she said, ‘I’m fat!’

‘I don’t think it’s excess weight, Anne’, Phillip said.

‘Then what could it be?’ Anne asked.

‘Dear’, Phillip said, ‘I believe that you’re pregnant.’

‘What!?’ Anne asked in shock, ‘How can this be??’

‘I believe this happened five months ago in the hedge’, Phillip replied.

**Two minutes later…**

‘So’, everyone said in the living room (of the doll-house), ‘Why is Anne so big?’

‘It’s because…’ Phillip said nervously when W.D turned to face him, ‘Okay, I admit that…um…I believe that Anne is…pregnant.’

In response to this, W.D pinned him against the wall.

‘I **cannot** believe that you would impregnate my sister like this!’ he shouted, ‘You promised to **never** lay a finger on her until you were married!’

‘I’m sorry’, Phillip said nervously, ‘We w…were in the hedge, w…which started a c…chain reaction.’

‘W.D!’ P.T said, ‘That’s enough. You’re terrifying the man.’

‘Sorry, P.T’, W.D said before he let Phillip go.

Suddenly, there were footsteps coming up the stairs.

‘Ok, everyone’, P.T said, ‘Time to act like figurines.’

‘Ok’, everyone said before they fell silent just as the bedroom door opened.


	9. Chapter 9

‘Guess what I received as a gift today?’ Emily said as she opened the front of the doll-house, ‘That’s right! Another case of figurines!’

She then opened a large paper bag and dropped the whole troupe into it, with Debbie (Anne) on top of the pile, of course.

‘Looks like I won’t be needing you guys anymore’, she said before she tied the bag shut, walked downstairs, out the back door, and put it onto a rubbish heap in a shaded corner of the section.

**Later that evening…**

‘Ugh’, Lettie said, ‘Where are we?’

‘I don’t know’, Deng said, ‘However, I heard Emily say that she “didn’t need us anymore”.’

‘So’, Lettie said, ‘Are you saying that we’ve been thrown away and replaced?’

‘I **knew** it!’ W.D said, ‘She received new figurines today, so she **threw us out like we didn’t even exist**!’

Just then, P.T managed to cut a hole in the paper bag with a shard of glass that he had found at the bottom.

‘Guys’, he said, ‘I’ve found a way out.’

‘Finally’, Phillip said as he, P.T and the rest of the troupe walked out into the garden.

‘Whoa!’ Phillip said, ‘This place is huge!’

‘We’re going to have to sleep here tonight and make our way back to Lyttelton tomorrow’, P.T said.

‘Ok then’, everyone said, ‘Goodnight.’

During the night, while everyone was sleeping, Anne felt something unusual that confirmed what Phillip had said to her in the bedroom of the doll-house earlier that day.

‘Phillip?’ she whispered to him, ‘I feel funny.’

‘In what way?’ Phillip whispered as he pulled the lettuce leaf that he was using as a blanket off and quietly walked over.

‘It’s a weird sensation’, Anne whispered as she guided his hand down to the bump on her abdomen, ‘It feels as if someone is lightly kicking me from the inside.’

Phillip was almost driven to tears when he felt a tiny kick against his hand.

‘I can’t believe it, Anne!’ he sobbed quietly, ‘We’re going to be parents!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone! This story is on hold for an indefinate amount of time until I have new ideas for more chapters. Thanks for reading anyway.


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